


It Takes a Creaky Villa

by emmykay



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Family, Married Life, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-14 00:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2170965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmykay/pseuds/emmykay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naoe is settling in as a wife, mother, and neighbor.  Written as a treat for reogulus for the Koshien Exchange 2014.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes a Creaky Villa

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reogulus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reogulus/gifts).



> Inspired by reogulus' last prompt for the [ Koshien Exchange 2014.](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/koshienexchange2014) "I would love to read a slice-of-life from that period of their lives (post-childbirth), with a focus on Naoe trying to figure out her career (in present day canon she is an assistant professor) while caring for her family." [Full prompt here.](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fkasukabes.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F87460810669%2Fdear-koshien-exchange-author-more-hi-there&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG_SKjkn9Ixoh6NocQz_J3cH0iStw)

The sound of voices woke her up. Rubbing her eyes, Naoe heard Rei say, "Hello, yes, come in, come in." 

How many people was that? Mrs. Hamada? Mrs. Ito? Sounded like more, but who could they be? Naoe and Rei had had moved into the apartment not that long ago and Naoe didn't know many of their neighbors, or their voices. There hadn't been time since they moved here. 

Naoe lay still against the pillows, feeling the deep, relaxed breathing of her baby against her breast. Ren was a sweet baby, even if he didn't sleep more than half an hour at a time. It was swelteringly hot in the summer, especially on their second floor apartment, so Naoe had settled down to nurse on the futon wearing as little as possible; Ren in a diaper, Naoe still in her maternity underwear. The nurses had said she would regain her figure faster after breastfeeding, but at two months after having given birth, she couldn't tell if there was a difference.

There was a clatter. Rei was making tea for their guests. She should get up. She was the woman of the house. It was hard to get up, get dressed, act like she was a grownup. She should; she was a mother now. There wasn't much more 'grown-up' things to have than a husband, a baby, a rent. She should move, but she didn't. She enjoyed taking a moment to just sit. Moving here, being married, it had been hard. Much harder than she would have thought. 

"How do you like Creaky Villa?" asked someone who sounded like Mrs. Ito. She was a heavy-set woman with pearly skin, and a toddler, if Naoe remembered correctly. 

"It's great," Rei said. "It's a good location and - "

"Cheap!" laughed someone - Mrs. Hamada? She had medium-length light-colored hair, a wide smile, and a baby that was maybe half a year old.

* * *

Finding an apartment to rent that Naoe and Rei could afford was difficult. The agent had taken them by several places - and they kept turning them down. Finally, they admitted their price range might be lower than they originally thought. With a reproving click of her tongue, the agent offered to show them to the cheapest building in her list. They did a perfunctory tour of the aging building with its rusty roof and nonexistent amenities and masses of children running up and down the halls and stairs, but they all knew what was going to happen. Unless the building was condemned in the very near future, Naoe and Rei were going to live there.

They had enough to pay for the apartment, but Naoe found something new to worry about. The contracts. She didn't know anybody she felt comfortable enough with to ask if they would be the guarantor of a new young couple with no credit history and a baby on the way.

Naoe didn't know how her husband did it, but they got an guarantor. Rei hadn't explained much else about it beyond reassuring her they would be all right. It was only at the agent's office that she realized that the severe, tired-looking man waiting for them was actually Rei's older brother, Ryuu. She had swung her head back to Rei, unable to not compare his jeans and ponytail to Ryuu's sharply tailored suit and crisp haircut. She suddenly wondered what Ryuu must think of her in her frumpy second-hand maternity dress and sandals, her feet too swollen to wear regular shoes anymore.

Ryuu briskly took over the negotiations, relegating Naoe and Rei to sitting on the side, only tossing Rei occasional questions out of politeness. Towards the end, after all the signing and stamping had been completed, Ryuu slid clean white envelopes toward the agent, covering key money, the agent's fee, the modest security deposit, and the first two month's rent. Rei had tried to offer his own envelopes, which Ryuu and the agent ignored. 

After they had left the office, Rei offered the money to his brother. Ryuu dismissed the notion with a little hand gesture, his massive gold wristwatch glinting in the sunlight. "What kind of apartment you're going to have for that kind of money - " he sighed, shaking his head. "Don't worry. Consider it a wedding gift."

Naoe did not, she supposed, feel adequately grateful.

When Rei made an attempt to shove the money into Ryuu's hand, Ryuu said, "Mom would want you to have that."

Rei settled back, startled. Nervously, he asked, "How are they?"

"Mom is worried, but Father doesn't want to talk about you. He's forbidden her from calling," Ryuu said. "It's going to take some time. They were -" he cut himself off, his eyes falling on Naoe, thoughtful. "They weren't expecting you." He smiled, a quick beam of sunshine that took years off his face. It made him look like Rei.

Ryuu said that his wife was also pregnant. After a few awkward congratulations all around, he excused himself to return to his office and bid them both goodbye. In the end, the whole process had taken less than an hour.

* * *

"Is your wife out with the baby?" asked Mrs. Ito.

"They're sleeping," Rei said.

"Is it a boy? Or a girl?" That must be Mrs. Yamato, a round-faced woman with premature streaks of grey and two girls, one was almost two, the other was nine months old. 

"Boy. Ren. We named him Ren." The pride shone in his voice.

Small sounds of approval. "A good name."

Naoe looked down at the small downy head, covered with the softest light-brown hair, the little undershirt and diaper, all the way down to the skinny little legs. Rei thought Ren marvelous, perfect in every way from the moment Ren had come into the world. Naoe loved her baby, but she couldn't help thinking that he mostly resembled a plucked chicken, especially when he was tucked up in sleep. The sweetest plucked chicken of a baby with the dreamiest expressions. If only he would let his parents get some sleep. Everything they did was coated with a haze of exhaustion. The nurses at the regular baby checkups had assured them that even though it was difficult to get by on so little sleep, everything was normal. Even though Ren did seem to cry a lot, he didn't have colic or any chronic conditions. They had suggested a lot of cuddling and reassurance. 

"We noticed that you don't get a lot of visitors." This was said gently.

"Mrs. Hamada," Rei said, "ah, ah, no. Well, you see, we, uh," Naoe could imagine Rei's face, clear as plate glass, blushing. "We just finished school, and Naoe's parents have passed away."

"I'm so so sorry!" blurted Mrs. Yamato.

"It's all right, Mrs. Yamato. It was a long time ago. I never met them. And, we, uh," she could hear him gulp, "we eloped."

Naoe felt a small ache in her chest, and she pressed her lips against Ren's head. As she breathed in that particular smell of small baby, she wondered what her parents would have thought about her husband, her elopement, her son. 

* * *

It had felt tremendously, dramatically righteous to go back to her apartment and call their friends about their intention to run off and get married without parental approval, but the actual filing of the paperwork at the municipal office a few days later was anti-climatic. The wait wasn't very long, the clerk had looked over their application, asked a few questions in a bored voice, shuffled through the photocopies of their family registers, queried the two friends who had shown up as witnesses and that was it. Rei and Naoe couldn't afford rings, but they did treat the entire wedding party, all four of them, to a lunchtime beer in honor of their change in status. The way Rei spoke, Naoe had felt that the rings meant more to him than they did to her. 

This ordinariness was almost the opposite with her pregnancy, which went from boring to alarming in less time than it took to actually register that she was pregnant. She had thought the mild, constant queasiness was food poisoning that had gone on for too long. Then the doctor, matter-of-factly, asked her to pee in a cup. She had been terribly worried; the baby had come as a surprise and she didn't know if they could afford a baby, emotionally or financially. Rei, however, had been beyond thrilled. They tried to prepare themselves, reading and talking to friends. Then she went on the 48-hour physical, emotional, spiritual roller coaster that was labor. 

When Ren had been presented to her, naked and hastily wiped down, she had been exhausted, covered in sweat, uncertain about what had just happened to her body. A nurse had laid Ren on her chest, helping her move her arms to better cradle him. "Ren?" she said, tiredly. He had opened his eyes blearily and the slate-grey color had captured her, the minute mouth opened in a soundless yawn and she was done in. Her heart was completely given over, tucked into the tiny fist that folded itself under that bitty chin.

"My son," Rei had murmured, reaching over to stroke Ren's head, his hand trembling. "We have a son!" Rei had tears in his eyes. "My father's first grandchild."

* * *

"Oh! Didn't mean to pry!" That sounded like Mrs. Ito.

"So, you see," Rei said. "It's just been hard, since the baby was born, to get in contact with everybody."

"Well, Mrs. Yamato and Mrs. Ito and I - we took up a collection in the building - " Mrs. Hamada said.

"Oh, no - you didn't have to -" Naoe could hear Rei's embarrassment through the door.

"Please, take it - it's not much." Mrs. Ito said. "Just a little something - I hope you don't mind hand-me-downs. And this baby-carrier."

"Oh, but what if they want - " Rei protested.

"If they have more children, give the clothes back!" Mrs. Ito laughed. "Nobody knows what's going to happen around here except there's going to be more children!"

"Must be something in the water!" Mrs. Yamato joked. "Here. Take this. I made you and Mrs. Mihashi a little something to eat. It's hard to eat properly with a new baby."

"What about the containers?" Rei asked.

"Don't worry. Return them when you're done. I'm just downstairs."

"Thank you so much!" Rei said, sounding pleased and overwhelmed. Naoe wondered when was the last time he had eaten a meal that wasn't freeze-dried at point of manufacture.

She was glad it was Rei who answered the door. Rei was better at accepting gifts, more graceful - something that came with being the youngest in a wealthy family. She might have bumbled and refused the gifts, however kindly they were meant, afraid that there was something more to them beyond simple generosity. Rei didn't understand, because he had never been known the kind of grudging charity she had received throughout high school.

"Anyway, we should go," Mrs. Hamada said. "I remember the first few months after Yoshiro was born. We were desperate for sleep."

"Yes, yes," agreed Mrs. Yamato. "We should get going."

There was a small flurry of sound as the visitors stood up and went to get their shoes.

"If you need anything, we're neighbors," said Mrs. Hamada.

"Wouldn't it be lovely if Ren and Yoshio and Nana and Kaoru and Miku played together when they're older?" asked Mrs. Ito.

"They could start a basketball team," laughed Mrs. Yamato.

"Basketball? No, no - baseball!" protested Mrs. Hamada.

"Baseball? We don't have enough children for a full team. If you want baseball, you'd better start having more children, Mrs. Hamada!" teased Mrs. Ito.

There was more laughter as Rei closed the door behind the guests. She was sorry she hadn't gotten up after all. It would have been nice to have the company. The phone rang. Rei answered, and the conversation was brief.

"Rei?" she called after he had hung up.

"Naoe?" Rei answered, opening the door to the bedroom and peeking in. "You hungry? Thirsty?" 

She smiled up at him. "Always," she said, shifting Ren very carefully to her lap. He made a shuddering sigh, and then settled back to sleep. Rei handed over a cup of water and an onigiri.

"Mrs. Hamada, Mrs. Ito and Mrs. Yamato came by with food." 

"That's amazing," Naoe replied, stuffing her face. "What was the phone call about?"

"It was your advisor. He wanted to know when you were going to start with the research group."

Naoe stilled. "I - I don't know." She looked at Rei. "I'm going to have to go, soon. The stipend is a good one and it comes with a tuition remission. I can't let that go -"

"I know," Rei said.

"We can't afford to not -"

"I know."

"But I want to stay with Ren, just a little longer. It's so much nicer if he could stay at home." She wondered at the yearning in her voice. She had never thought she would have wanted to stay home with a baby - she had always been so focused on earning an income and having a career. Then again, she hadn't thought she was going to be married with a baby in her early twenties, either. "The research is really interesting, though. I mean, when I spoke to my advisor, he seemed to think there was a lot of potential in my project."

"I'll stay with Ren," Rei offered.

"But - "

He argued, "There won't be so many job openings this time of year - I'll start applying again in a few more months. I can be useful this way - and Ren's most important now - " 

She opened her mouth, and Rei quickly said, "It's okay, Naoe. You can't do everything. But I can do this. It'll be okay. I'll - I'll - we'll figure something out later."

Naoe subsided, biting her lip. She lifted the cup of water and drained it, trying to swallow her concerns.

"Look," Rei said, obviously trying to divert her attention. "The visitors - they brought these clothes - " he put the small pile next to her. He lifted each item up to show her; mostly plain, unisex tops and elastic-waisted pants of varying sizes. They smelled of mild detergent and sunshine. 

* * *

Before Ren had been born, Naoe and Rei had gone shopping. Rei had suggested a fancy department store, Naoe had rolled her eyes, wanting to purchase only the barest essentials. She still agreed to go. Rei took the saleswoman's advice very seriously about the need for the most expensive stroller, crib, clothing, changing table, cloth diapers, breast pump. Naoe had to pull him aside to hiss about the expense. They could get things cheaper elsewhere, or secondhand, or could maybe borrow from people, or it wasn't necessary, they would be moving soon to a less expensive and most likely smaller apartment. The saleswoman had excused herself, ostensibly to deal with another customer, but most likely because she knew enough about young expectant couples that she didn't want to be there for the argument. 

Rei held up the package of cloth diapers. "But these are eco-friendly!"

"No," she said.

He was oddly stubborn about it, having been so reasonable about everything else. "Why not?"

"Because - because - " she took a moment to breathe, trying to express why she _knew_ that the disposables were the better option.

"You care so much about how much things cost - but these will be cheaper per use and they don't take up so much space. And if we have more kids, it will really make a difference."

How could he not understand what she just knew? "Because - "

"If you don't want to wash dirty diapers, I would do the laundry - that's not a problem. You know I don't care about female-male roles like that."

"It's not that." He looked at her, and she could see the genuine puzzlement. Did he really not understand? A sudden memory came to her; on one of their early group dates somebody had joked that Rei's first encounter with a washing machine was like losing his virginity. Why hadn't she put it together? She had been to his parents' big beautiful house - and the way his friends talked, Rei had always lived in a house, had never had to share communal space or washing machines or much of anything until college. 

The sharing of things in college, in dorms, probably hadn't been real to him, it had been just part of the experience - everyone shared, and occasionally, argued over sharing, in college. While she had been among those people that had never owned their own washing machine, people who knew there was an etiquette to sharing. She was ashamed she had to put it into words. Ashamed that she knew. Ashamed that she had to confess to her husband that she knew.

She flushed, the words on her lips hesitant. She didn't want to spell it out. It was so hard to talk about. "The machine we use now came with the apartment. There might not be one where we move. We can't afford to buy a washer. If there isn't a washer, we're going to have to go to a coin laundry. We can't put dirty diapers in a shared machine."

He blinked at her, the words sinking in. He reddened with embarrassment. Haltingly, he said, "I'm sorry, Naoe. So sorry." She nodded, glad to have that behind them, but he kept speaking. "I'm such a bad husband. I'll find a job, I'll buy you a washer really soon."

She looked at her husband, really looked at him, seeing the effort he made, seeing the parts that were still boy and the other parts that were struggling to become a man. She grabbed his hand. "It's okay, Rei. We'll do fine."

He had squeezed her hand tightly, bringing it up to his heart. "I promise, Naoe. I'll take care of you and our baby."

They had left the store quickly thereafter, having purchased nothing.

* * *

Rei's hand fell on some paper in the middle of the pile right as he was saying, "-- said that if we need anything, her husband could pick it up on his way home from work."

"What's that?" Naoe asked, curious. 

"Oh - " Rei opened the plain white envelope. Written on the back was 'Baby Mihashi.' "It's - it's -" he pulled out a small sheaf of notes, "- 15,000 yen."

She almost choked on a bite of the onigiri. "They gave us 15,000 yen?" Tears began in Naoe's eyes. An entire month's rent.

"Isn't this - " Rei began, looking a combination of concerned and confused. "Isn't this a good thing?"

The tears spilled. She sniffed. Rei dropped the envelope and took the remainder of the food and the cup from her so she could wipe at her face with the backs of her hands.

His eyebrows pushed together in concern, Rei watched as she shakily brought herself together. "Rei. The people here. They're so good."

Rei nodded, staring at the money.

Her heart, her worries, her doubts settled. "I think - I think we're going to be all right here."

**Author's Note:**

>  _Full prompt:_ I literally dreamed this up 20 min before signup closes so here goes: I’m not sure if you’ve read the omake about Mihashi’s parents eloping together, if not then I”ll summarize it really quick here. Naoe came from humble origins, her mother passed away at a young age and she grew up supporting her family at a young age. Reiichi came from a wealthy family and his father disapproved of Naoe when Reiichi talked to him about marrying her, citing it would be unseemly for Reiichi to marry a woman who came from a broken family. The young lovers decided to elope and ended up living together in Naoe’s small apartment at Creaky Villa (where Hamada and baby Ren first met), and Naoe became pregnant by surprise soon after. The omakes did not go into detail but it was a very difficult time for both Naoe and Reiichi, financially and emotionally, because Reiichi could not find work at the time. I would love to read a slice-of-life from that period of their lives (post-childbirth), with a focus on Naoe trying to figure out her career (in present day canon she is an assistant professor) while caring for her family. It is entirely up to you how in-depth you want to go in terms of her relationship with Reiichi at that time, as long as he is present in some way. Baby Ren is of course essential, but I would prefer not to see him portrayed as some trope prop for cuteness that certain baby fics tend to do.
> 
> Shoutout to zetsubooty about more love for anime moms. 
> 
> guarantor - a co-signer. Common in Japan for renting apartments (as are all the fees mentioned in the story). The guarantor is most often a parent (because they would then be responsible for incurring all the payments should the original lease holder fail to pay), but could also be an employer (sometimes) or a company that co-signs as its business. (In my head, the first apartment Naoe and Rei live in is part of university housing, so there is no guarantor business.)
> 
> Ren here has grey eyes because a lot of Asian babies are born with grey eyes, which darken over the first year to their final color. [Reference.](http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Newborn-Eye-Color.aspx)
> 
> US-style baby showers, while recently becoming more common in Japan, aren't traditional. Gifts are generally given after the baby is born, and are often cash in the neighborhood of 10,000 yen (roughly $100 US). [ Reference. ](http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+23829)


End file.
